In the electrical telecommunications industry, an incoming telecommunications cable enters a customer's premises and the conductors of the incoming cable extend to a distribution frame where they are connected to telecommunications conductors of the customer's internal telecommunications network. The arrangement and design of a distribution frame is such that, for accessibility, the customer's conductors extend into the front of the frame and into connectors to be connected to the conductors of the incoming cable. Frontal access into the distribution frame is most important for the customer, not only for initial connection of conductors of his internal network, but also for removal and repositioning of his conductors to accommodate changes in his own network design accompanied by interchangeability with the incoming conductors at the terminals in the distribution frame. To allow for frontal access of customer's conductors, conductors of the incoming cable extend into the rear of the connectors in the distribution frame. It is conventional practice to pass the incoming conductors along the back or rear of the frame or down through the frame towards the rear. This positioning of the incoming conductors increases the difficulties in directing them each to its specific location for connection into a specific terminal. A typical distribution frame is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,315, granted July 14, 1981 in the name of B. T. Osborne. This patent shows the rear access of incoming conductors to a distribution frame.
In the optical telecommunications field, distribution frames are not provided which connect, at one location, optical fibers of an incoming cable with optical fibers of a customer's internal network.